Fire of long ago

Lush and green in summer, veld fires do hit the Lowveld although mostly in winter. The grass is dry at that time, the leaves of the trees lie on the ground, very different from the summer scene witnessed here. The situation is of course very different in the large pine and eucalypt plantations of Lowveld forestry.

Planned burning in a well-managed cycle benefits the veld; too frequent burning is a serious ecological problem. Even the riverbank is not spared, the evidence however (almost) fully removed by a good rainy season. Fires jumping a large river is not common, although Lowveld rivers have low water levels in winter, their catchment areas inundated in summer.

The regulation or prohibition of veld-burning as well as the prevention, control and extinguishing of veld fires are provided for in legislation. The effectiveness of legislation is affected by citizen attitudes, the levels at which people are informed and their values regarding nature; not only by penalties. Some recent events of deliberate burning that occurred in the country may be associated with a sense of alienation experienced by desperate citizens.